winter is coming… and there will be cooking!

Somewhere in the early second season, a friend got me hooked on Game of Thrones. I dutifully backtracked and watched every episode so I knew the whole story. Then, in a fit of addiction after the season ended, I picked up the books. Yeah, it’s that kind of obsession.

image from Inn at the Crossroads

So, fittingly, as the season three opener approaches, we’ve planned a Game of Thrones viewing party. Because we’re just a little bit geeky like that.

Being the obnoxious food-centric person I am, I couldn’t let the opportunity for a fabulous themed menu pass me by. The two most common options seem to be creating a menu with “inspiration” from the show (which results in things like a spicy tomato and cucumber salad being called “Salad of Fire and Ice”), or attempting to actually recreate some of the dishes described in the books, ala Inn at the Crossroads. I took a sort of middle of the road approach for the sake of speed and menu appeal.

Our Game of Thrones menu?

image from The Pioneer Woman

We’ll start with a selection of cheeses, fruits and nuts. Then we’ll have greens, dressed with apples and pine nuts. For the main course, I am shamelessly borrowing the Pioneer Woman’s Pork Roast recipe (standing in for roast boar), which will be served with a creamed onion recipe of my own, and my drunken mushrooms, plus baked squash. For dessert, since we have guests on gluten-free diets, I will be adapting Nigella Lawson’s Lemon Polenta Cake recipe. We’ll also be enjoying a homemade mead courtesy a dear friend.